Show highlights diverse range of drone applications

Over 30 leading companies in the low-altitude mobility sector from across China gathered at Shanghai Yuehu Sculpture Park on Sunday and Monday, demonstrating more than 100 application categories of drones and solutions in diverse sectors such as forest inspection, firefighting, logistics, supply transportation and water rescue.

The show opened with an aerial floral performance presented by Funtastic, a Shanghai company in the aviation technology and cultural creativity field. A drone romantically threw dried rose petals at the audience from the sky, creating a festive atmosphere.

Another drone, powered by hydrogen and designed for inspection purposes, impressed the audience with its long-lasting battery and airtime. Developed by Shanghai Jimei Propulsion Technology Co Ltd, a key incubator at the Tongji University National University Science Park, the long-duration hydrogen fuel cell unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) features high efficiency, reliability, low noise, wide operating temperature range and zero pollution.

"The highly integrated modular fuel cell system equipped on the drone has advantages such as high energy density, lightweight, efficient conversion, fast refueling and long lifespan. According to our internal test, it can fly for up to nearly four hours at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour," introduced Song Ke, founder of Jimei Propulsion and an associate professor at the School of Automotive Studies at Tongji University.

Song added that hydrogen fuel cells can outperform fossil fuels and lithium batteries in many ways, and he sees great potential in the wider application of this clean energy to boost the rapid growth of the promising low-altitude economy.

Vectoragr, a company headquartered in both Shanghai and Harbin, Heilongjiang province, demonstrated its self-developed VF80 firefighting drones during the show. Designed for firefighting, emergency rescue and aerial support for city buildings, forests and waters, the drone has special editions for different scenarios.

For instance, its city edition with a fire hose can ascend to 100 meters within one minute for remote firefighting and can outperform traditional firefighting equipment in efficiency and safety with a 5-meter proximity range and 15-meter suppression depth. Its forest edition can deliver exceptional wildfire monitoring performance with high-resolution cameras, as well as remotely deploy fire suppression agents in multi channels, realize rapid aerial delivery of supplies and offer night illumination to support comprehensive firefighting.

"The nation's policy is boosting the development of the low-altitude economy, and we have seen many challenges and great demand in emergency rescue. We hope to support the firefighting tasks with drones and reduce the risks for our firefighters in dangerous scenes. The VF80 drones are already in application in many places, such as the provinces of Heilongjiang, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Yunnan," said Zhou Zhenfei, product manager at the company's low-altitude economy department.

With the expanding application of drones in diverse sectors, the market demand for licensed drone pilots is also growing. Qin Song, general manager of Funtastic, told China Daily: "We see obvious growth in the number of our trainees pursuing their license in recent years, as the nation encourages the development of the low-altitude economy. Different drones and different application scenarios have different requirements for drone pilots."

He added that more teenagers and youths are also interested in drone pilot training lessons. As drones are basically a kind of smart robotics, such lessons can comprehensively help improve trainees' abilities in theory, logic, math, physics and more.

Comprehensively showcasing practical applications in various fields, the event also warmed up for the upcoming International Advanced Air Mobility Expo, which will take place from Wednesday to Saturday in Shanghai.